IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIW 


No.  525 


fAM. 

S.  AM  Eft, 


. i tno 


Under  The  Southern  Cross 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ 


A Sketch  of  Our  Work  in  Brazil 

^6~V  . t ^ 

THE  BOARD  OF  MISSIONS 
of  the  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

281  FOURTH  AVENUE  ::  NEW  YORK 





ARGENTINE 


EauATOK 


Under  the  Southern  Cross 

THE  CHURCH’S  MISSION  TO  BRAZIL 

THE  LAND  The  republic  of  Brazil  is  larger  than  the 
whole  of  the  United  States  with  the  addi- 
tion of  another  Texas!  No  brief  statement  could  ade- 
quately describe  the  character  of  the  entire  country, 
extending  as  it  does  from  about  five  degrees  north 
latitude  to  thirty-two  degrees  south  latitude.  In  general, 
however,  it  may  be  said  of  the  southern  part  of  the  repub- 
lic (and  even  Rio  de  Janeiro  is  well  to  the  south)  that  the 
country  is  largely  composed  of  great  grassy  plains  rising  to 
lofty  table  lands.  The  people  are  largely  descendants  of 
the  original  Spanish  and  Portuguese  settlers,  reinforced  by 
immigration  from  Europe.  Portuguese  is  the  language  of 
the  country. 

The  state  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  where  most  of  our  work 
is  concentrated  at  the  present  time,  is  larger  than  the  state 
of  New  York.  Immediately  south  of  it  lies  Uruguay; 
immediately  west,  the  Argentine  Republic.  It  is  in  the 
same  latitude  as  South  Africa  and  South  Australia.  The 
government  has  just  spent  $35,000,000  on  the  harbor  of 
Rio  Grande.  It  has  a population  of  800,000  and  a climate 
similar  to  that  of  our  own  Gulf  States,  though,  of  course, 
the  seasons  are  reversed,  our  winter  being  their  summer. 

Abundant  streams — some  of  them  large,  navigable  rivers 
— abound.  The  soil  is  wonderfully  fertile.  All  the  cereals 
and  vegetables  of  our  own  country  flourish  there.  It  is  a 
land  of  fruits  and  flowers.  Little  extensive  cultivation  of 
the  soil  is  attempted,  however.  Indian  corn  and  rice,  the 
inevitable  black  bean  and  the  valuable  manioc  root  are  the 
principal  products.  In  the  latitude  of  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
coffee  is  one  of  the  great  products  and  articles  of  export. 
The  plains  lend  themselves  especially  to  cattle-raising. 
The  climate  is  so  favorable  and  the  grazing  so  good  that 
great  herds  of  cattle  thrive  without  much  care  and  at  in- 
considerable expense. 


8 


CHURCH  OF  THE  MEDIATOR.  SANTA^MARIA 


THE  BEGINNING  In  the  autumn  of  1889,  two 

OP  THE  MISSION  graduates  of  the  Virginia  Theo- 

logical Seminary  were  sent  out 
under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Church  Missionary 
Society  to  Southern  Brazil.  They  were  the  Reverend 
Lucien  Lee  Kinsolving  and  the  Reverend  James  W.  Mor- 
ris. At  that  time  little  interest  was  felt  in  Latin  America, 
and  these  young  men  were  regarded  as  entering  upon  a 
desperate  and  rather  quixotic  undertaking. 

Within  two  months  after  their  arrival  the  republic  of 
Brazil  was  declared,  the  whole  civil  fabric  reorganized,  all 
religious  disabilities  removed,  the  Church  separated  from 
the  state,  and  complete  liberty  of  worship  guaranteed. 

The  missionaries  began  their  work  in  the  city  of  Porto 
Alegre,  the  capital  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  the  most  south- 
ern state  in  the  republic.  They  found  the  people  ready  to 
pay  attention  to  their  message  because  of  a spirit  of  reli- 
gious inquiry  and  interest  in  the  air. 

In  1891  the  force  was  appreciably  strengthened  by  the 
arrival  of  the  Reverend  William  Cabell  Brown  and  the 
Reverend  John  G.  Meem,  and  by  1893  the  three  principal 
cities  of  this  state — Rio  Grande,  the  seaport,  a town  of 
20,000,  Pelotas,  about  forty  miles  distant,  with  40,000 
people,  and  Porto  Alegre,  having  75,000  inhabitants — 
were  vigorously  occupied. 


FIRST  EPISCOPAL  In  1893  Bishop  Peterkin,  of 
VISITATION  West  Virginia,  at  the  request  of 

the  presiding  bishop  of  the 
Church,  made  an  episcopal  visitation  to  the  field.  He  or- 
dained four  deacons,  confirmed  140  persons,  and  gave  the 
whole  work  a regular  organization.  It  is,  indeed,  from  this 
year  that  the  Brazilian  mission,  as  an  organized  body, 
should  be  dated.  A few  years  later,  at  the  request  of  our 
presiding  bishop,  the  Anglican  bishop  of  the  Falkland 
Islands,  Dr.  Stirling,  officially  visited  the  mission,  ad- 
vanced to  the  priesthood  the  deacons  ordained  by  Bishop 
Peterkin  and  also  confirmed  many  candidates.  This  united 
the  mother  and  daughter  Churches  in  Brazil.  In  1905,  at 
the  request  of  the  American  Church  Missionary  Society, 


5 


the  Board  of  Missions  took  over  the  'work  which  the 
auxiliary  society  had  supported  so  faithfully  for  sixteen 
years.  It  was  not  at  this  time  on  the  same  footing  as  the 
other  missions  undertaken  by  the  Board,  but  was  an  in- 
dependent national  Church,  and  for  several  years  was 
under  its  own  independent  bishop,  Lucien  Lee  Kinsolving. 


BISHOP  In  1907,  the  council  of  the  Brazdian 

KINSOLVING  Church  decided  to  ask  the  Church  in 
the  United  States  to  accept  the  work  in 
Brazil  as  one  of  its  missions.  The  General  Convention  of 
October,  1907,  meeting  in  Richmond,  Virginia — Bishop 
Kinsolving's  native  state — very 
wisely  agreed  to  do  this;  Bishop 
Kinsolving  therefore  resigned  as  a 
bishop  of  the  Church  in  Brazil,  af- 
ter more  than  eight  years  of  ser- 
vice, and  was  elected  by  the  same 
Convention  as  the  first  Missionary 
bishop  of  Southern  Brazil.  He 
still  retains  this  title,  although  the 
whole  republic,  not  only  the  single 
state  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  as 
formerly,  is  now  the  field  of  the 
American  Church. 


Bishop  Kinsolviiij^ 


PHASES  OF  THE  WORK 

EVANGELISTIC  Experience  has  shown  that  cur 
Church's  ordered  form  of  worship 
is  particularly  effective  among  Brazilians.  Liturgical  ser- 
vices, by  vested  clergy,  in  a well-arranged  place  of  wor- 
ship, appeal  to  their  sense  of  propriety,  and  give  for  them 
solemnity  to  the  act  of  worship,  and  power  to  the  Word 
preached  and  expounded.  Fpv  a considerable  time  service 
books,  containing  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  with 
selections  from  other  parts  of  the  liturgy,  tolerably  well 
translated,  were,  by  ecclesiastical  authority,  put  in  use 
throughout  the  mission.  Later,  Dr.  Brown,  assisted  by 
the  young  Brazilian  presbyter,  the  Reverend  A.  V.  Cabral, 
translated  the  whole  Book  of  Common  Prayer  into  Portu- 


6 


CHURCH  OF  THE  SAVIOUR,  RIO  GRANDE  DO  SUL 


guese.  This  translation,  through  the  generosity  of  the 
Bishop  White  Prayer  Book  Society  of  Philadelphia,  and 
of  Mr.  James  Pott,  of  New  York,  was  published  and  put 
‘into  the  hands  of  the  people  in  1899.  Since  then  it  has 
been  in  use  in  all  the  Brazilian  congregations. 

In  all  twelve  churches  have  been  built.  The  Church  of 
the  Crucified,  Bage,  a beautiful  Gothic  structure  with  a 
seating  capacity  of  250,  was  consecrated  on  the  Feast  of 
the  Epiphany,  1915.  This  church  was  built  almost  en- 
tirely by  the  offerings  of  the  congregation,  under  the 
leadership  of  the  Reverend  Antonio  J.  L.  Guimaraes.  In 
April  of  the  same  year  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  was  set  apart  for  devotional  purposes,  it  being  im- 
practicable to  consecrate  it  on  account  of  an  outstanding 
debt.  For  years  a church  in  this  strategic  center  has  been 
sorely  needed.  At  last,  largely  through  local  offerings, 
Rio  has  one  of  singular  taste  and  beauty  in  a most  desir- 
able locality.  On  the  same  lot  is  a building  adequate  for 
all  present  parish  activities,  and  space  sufficient  for  a resi- 
dence for  the  archdeacon. 


7 


INTERIOR  OF  CHURCH  OF  THE  REDEEMER,  RIO  DE  JANEIRO 

In  Meyer,  a suburb  of  Rio,  the  congregation  of  Trinity 
Church  is  growing  rapidly  in  a building  which  is  neither 
adequate  nor  appropriate.  The  people  have  paid  $5,000 
for  a lot,  and  have  in  hand  a building  fund  of  some  $2,500. 
In  1915  the  scattered  communicants  at  Cima  da  Serra — 
a wide  country  district  under  the  care  of  the  Reverend 
A.  V.  Cabral — purchased  a building  in  Sao  Francisco  de 
Paula  and  endeavored  to  fit  it  up  in  churchly  fashion. 

During  the  past  five  or  six  years  a number  of  churches 
have  been  built  with  little  or  no  help  from  outside  sources. 
In  some  places  houses  or  lots  or  both  have  been  given  by 
communicants;  in  others  lots  have  been  sold  at  one-half 
their  actual  value. 

In  Jaguarao  and  in  Sao  Jose  do  Norte  dwellings  have 
been  converted  into  attractive  church  buildings ; in  Santa 
Helena  a small  country  church  has  been  built;  in  Sao 
Francisco  de  Paula  de  Cima  de  Serra  a theatre  was 
bought  by  the  congregation  and  is  being  used  as  a 
church.  The  church  at  Don  Pedrito  has  also  been  built 
within  the  last  few  years. 


8 


CHURCH  OF  THE  REDEEMER,  RIO  DE  JANEIRO 


In  Rio  de  Janeiro  there  was  initiated  in  1916  a wonder- 
ful work  of  charity,  the  ‘'Assistencia  de  Santa  Thereza’’, 
by  Dr.  Francisco  de  Castro  and  his  wife.  Dr.  Castro,  a 
layreader,  has  himself  contributed  over  $11,000  to  this 
work.  Help  is  given  to  the  poor,  the  sick,  and  to  orphans. 
A kitchen  is  maintained,  medicines  and  medical  attention 
are  given,  and  a creche  is  in  operation  for  working  mothers. 
During  its  first  year  the  ‘'Assistencia’’  clothed,  fed,  and 
gave  elementary,  civic,  and  moral  instruction  to  156  child- 
ren. A Sunday-school  is  maintained,  and  the  Church’s 
offices  have  been  performed  by  the  Reverend  Dr.  Meem. 

To  sum  up.  Church  life  seems  to  be  deepening  all  along 
the  line  and  producing  fruit. 


EDUCATIONAL  Bishop  Kinsolving  has  felt  for  some 
time  that  the  great  need  of  the 
Brazil  mission  was  the  development  of  the  educational 
phase  of  the  work,  side  by  side  with  the  evangelistic.  Little 
had  been  done  in  that  line  except  a school  for  both  sexes 
known  as  ''Collegio  Kinsolving”  at  Santa  Anna  do  Livra- 
mento,  and  a small  parochial  school  in  Sao  Gabriel,  until 


9 


THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS  SCHOOL,  PORTO  ALEGRE 


in  1912  the  diocesan  school  for  boys  at  Porto  Alegre 
(Southern  Cross  School)  was  founded  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Reverend  William  M.  M.  Thomas.  The  mod- 
ern Brazilian  is  so  eager  for  education  for  his  children, 
and  so  appreciative  of  North  American  methods  of  teach- 
ing, scholarship  and  discipline,  that  the  success  of  this 
school  was  a foregone  conclusion.  With  no  adequate 
equipment,  and  in  rented  houses  with  no  facilities,  Mr. 
Thomas  gathered  a fine  corps  of  teachers  and  an  attend- 
ance of  sixty  boys,  twenty-five  of  them  boarding-pupils. 
With  the  aid  of  three  scholarships  all  expenses  were  met 
and  paid  by  Mr.  Thomas,  whom  Bishop  Kinsolving  calls 
‘‘a  master  of  economics’^  and  each  month  pupils  had  to  be 
rejected  for  lack  of  room.  So  in  the  spring  of  1915  Bishop 
Kinsolving  made  a venture  of  faith,  secured  a piece  of  land 
on  which  was  a small  house,  and  began  to  build  a three- 
story  school  with  accommodations  for  four  masters,  a 
matron  and  forty  boys. 

The  school  site  is  almost  ideal  in  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive suburbs  of  the  city  of  Porto  Alegre,  commanding  a 
picturesque  view  of  both  city  and  lake.  The  lot  has  a 
frontage  on  one  street  of  260  metres  and  on  the  side  street 
of  130,  and  is  separated  from  adjoining  properties  by  a 
small  stream.  It  is  well-fenced  and  has  on  it  a building, 
which  with  enlargement  can  be  made  into  a suitable  resi- 
dence for  the  headmaster.  It  has  also  some  two  thousand 
fruit  trees,  chiefly  pears,  plums,  peaches  and  Japanese 
persimmons,  which,*  ripening  during  the  holidays,  yield 
a profit  of  about  $1,000  a year.  There  are  enough  oranges 
and  lemons  for  the  use  of  the  school. 

The  school  year  for  1919  opened  with  an  attendance 
of  forty  boarders  and  the  same  number  of  day  scholars — 
that  is  the  school  was  full.  A staff  of  fifteen  men,  in- 
cluding student  teachers,  most  of  them  communicants  of 
the  Church,  is  giving  the  best  kind  of  instruction,  including 
moral  and  religious. 

The  establishment  of  the  Southern  Cross  School  at 
Porto  Alegre  marks  a distinct  advance  in  the  Brazil  mis- 
sion. Its  influence  will  be  increasingly  felt  as  successive 
generations  of  boys  go  out  to  carry  on  in  their  homes  the 
traditions  and  teachings  of  a Church  school.  Church 
teaching  and  instruction  in  the  Bible  form  a part  of  the 


11 


STAFF  OF  SCHOOL 


curriculum,  and  daily  religious  exercises  are  held  in  the 
large  schoolroom  until  a suitable  chapel  can  be  built.  The 
intellectual  and  moral  elements  of  the  problem  have  been 
successfully  solved ; there  remains  only  the  physical  equip- 
ment. Surely  there  are  those  who  will  see  to  it  that  this — 
the  only  educational  work  of  the  Church  under  the  South- 
ern Cross — is  adequately  sustained. 

THE  STAFF 

Probably  no  foreign  mission  field  has  had  so  little  re- 
inforcement from  the  home  Church  as  has  Brazil.  There 
have  never  been  more  than  four  or  five  American  clergy 
at  one  time  engaged  in  the  work ; no  field  so  entirely  sup- 
plies its  own  staflf.  In  his  report  for  1915-16,  Bishop  Kin- 
solving  says: 

‘‘Having  had  opportunity  during  the  past  year  to  study 
rather  widely  missionary  methods,  nowhere  have  I found 
any  work  so  largely  conducted  by  native  help.  Of  our 
forty  churches  and  mission  stations,  all  of  those  which  are 
in  the  state  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  where  our  work  was 
first  begun,  are  in  the  care  of  national  clergy 

“Of  my  staff,  now  numbering  nineteen,  all  but  four  are 
native  clergy,  of  whose  faithfulness,  loyalty  and  forbear- 
ance I would  again  make  record  with  deep  gratefulness.’^ 

Changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  staflf  have  been  rare. 
During  twelve  years  no  recruits  had  been  received  from 
this  country  until  in  1914  Mr.  Marion  T.  Meadows  joined 
the  staflf  of  the  diocesan  school,  but  stayed  only  one  year. 
In  the  same  year  the  mission  suffered  a very  serious  loss 
in  the  consecration  of  Dr.  Brown,  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
the  field,  as  bishop-coadjutor  of  Virginia — the  first  in- 
stance in  the  history  of  the  American  Church  of  the  elec- 
tion of  a missionary  presbyter  abroad  to  a diocesan  epis- 
copate. It  would  be  difficult  to  overestimate  the  value  of 
Dr.  Brown’s  services,  not  only  to  our  own  mission  in 
Brazil,  but  to  the  entire  Christian  movement  in  South 
America. 

The  first  accession  to  our  staff  from  the  home  Church 
in  recent  years  was  the  Reverend  Franklin  T.  Osborn,  in 
1916,  who  has  been  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Southern 
Cross  School,  in  Porto  Alegre,  and  has  been  able  to  take 


13 


over  a part  of  the  Reverend  W.  M.  M.  Thomas's  efficient 
work  as  headmaster. 

With  the  gradual  extension  of  the  work  over  a wider 
territory  it  was  thought  wise  to  divide  the  district  into 
three  archdeaconries : Rio  de  Janeiro,  to  include  that  city 
and  others  within  reach;  Porto  Alegre,  which  takes  in, 
roughly  speaking,  the  northern  half  of  the  state  of  Rio 
Grade  do  Sul ; Rio  Grande,  the  southern  half  of  the  same 
state.  Of  the  three  archdeacons,  two  are  native  Brazilians. 
A full  list  of  the  native  and  American  clergy,  with  their 
stations,  may  be  found  on  the  last  page  of  this  leaflet. 

A CLOSING  WORD 

In  closing  the  brief  statement  of  the  work  of  our  Church 
farthest  south,  we  are  impressed  by  the  fact  that  our  people 
in  Brazil  are  tremendously  in  earnest.  Note  the  efforts  of 
the  scattered  communicants  in  Cima  da  vSerra,  and  the 
congregation  of  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  who  in  their  desire  for  a worthy  place  of  worship 
gave  nearly  $300  per  communicant  in  one  year.  Every 
mission  station  does  what  it  can  for  the  support  of  its  own 
clergyman. 

In  July  1917  the  church  at  Santa  Maria  decided  to 
assume  the  full  responsibility  of  all  its  current  expenses, 
including  the  salary  of  the  Reverend  Joao  B.  B.  da  Cunha, 
the  minister-in-charge.  This  parish  was  started  about 
eighteen  years  ago,  and  has  always  given  generously  to- 
ward all  Church  objects.  Five  candidates  for  the  ministry 
have  come  from  the  ranks  of  her  men  ; to-day  there  are  six 
Sunday-schools  with  about  three  hundred  children  in 
attendance.  Surely  we  ought  to  give  all  the  help  in  our 
power  to  those  who  are  so  ready  to  help  themselves. 

It  is  a cause  for  thankfulness  that  in  all  the  years  of  our 
work  in  Brazil  we  have  had  no  controversy  with  our 
Roman  brethren.  There  has  been  no  proselytizing,  but  the 
Roman  Church  has  felt  the  impetus  of  public  opinion  and 
is  no  longer  neglectful  of  her  people. 

The  great  need  of  the  Brazil  mission  to-day,  in  Bishop 
Kinsolving's  opinion,  is  more  schools.  A notable  begin- 
ning has  been  made  without  asking  the  Board  of  Missions 
for  either  equipment  or  rent.  But  much  more  needs  to  be 


14 


SETTING  OUT  ON  A MISSIONARY  JOURNEY 


done.  The  need  for  a girls’  school  is  as  great  as  is  that  for 
a boys’  school.  Given  equipment,  teachers  could  easily  be 
found  and  a great  work  undertaken.  In  Brazil  the  evan- 
gelistic work  has  outrun  the  educational  work.  The  time 
has  come  when  they  should  go  hand  in  hand  to  insure  a 
healthy  growth. 

Nowhere  have  we  a more  devoted  body  of  native  clergy. 
Add  to  this  the  demonstrated  fidelity  of  countless  laymen 
throughout  a score  of  years  in  an  environment  saturated 
with  a more  than  Athenian  indifference  to  the  Apostolic 
message,  and  we  have  proof  of  the  Latin  instinct  for 
Catholic  truth  ‘‘as  this  Church  hath  received  the  same” 
and  “the  Faith  once  for  all  delivered  to  the  saints”. 


Most  interesting  material  on  the  various  mission  fields  of 
the  Church  will  be  found  in  THE  SPIRIT  OF  MISSIONS, 
the  official  publication  of  The  Board  of  Missions,  issued 
monthly.  The  articles  are  prepared  by  bishops,  missionaries, 
and  others,  and  are  illustrated.  $1.00  a year;  single  copies 
10  cents. 


15 


THE  WORK  IN  BRAZIL 


December,  1919 

Bishop:  Right  Reverend  Lucien  Lee  Kinsolving,  S.T.D.,  LL.D., 
Caixa  174,  Porto  Alegre,  Brazil 

Archdeacons: 

Rio  de  Janeiro:  Rev.  John  G.  Meem,  D.D. 

Porto  Alegre:  Rev.  Americo  V.  Cabral. 

Rio  Grande:  Rev.  George  Lepton  Krischke. 


Bage 

Rev.  A.  J.  L.  Guimaraes 
Cima  da  Serra 
Rev.  A.  V.  Cabral 
Dom  Pedrito 
Rev.  J.  B.  Leao 
Jagruarao 

Rev.  N.  Almeida 
Iiivraanento 

Rev.  C.  H.  C.  Sergei 
Meyer  (Bio  de  Janiero) 
Rev.  F.  T.  Osborn 
Montenegro 

Rev.  A.  M.  Fraga 
Felotas 

Rev.  Jose  S.  da  Silva 
Porto  Alegre 

Rev.  W.  M.  M.  Thomas 
Rev.  A.  V.  Cabral 
Rev.  E.  A.  Bohrer 
Rev.  J.  Mozart  de  Mello 


Rio  de  Janiero 

. Rev.  John  G.  Meem,  D.D. 
Caixa  763 

Rev.  Salani  o Ferraz 

Bio  dos  Sinos 

Rev.  I.  O.  Machado 

Bio  Grande 

Rev.  G.  U.  Krischke 

Sao  Gabriel 

Rev.  Julio  A.  Coelho 

Santa  Helena  and  Florida 

Rev.  H.  Zschornack 

Sao  Jose  do  Norte 

Rev.  G.  U.  Krischke 

Santa  Maria 

* Rev.  J.  B.  B.  da  Cunha 

Sao  Iieopoldo 

Rev.  I.  O.  Machado 

Viaonao 

Rev.  J.  M.  de  Mello 


STATISTICS 


Clergy:  American,  5;  Brazilian,  13 18 

Stations  51 

Communicants  1,754 

Boarding  and  Day  Schools  2 

Sunday-schools  30 


Copies  of  this  leaflet  may  he  obtained  from  the  Literature  Department,  Church 
Missions  House,  281  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York,  by  asking  for  No  523. 


16 


4 Ed.  2-20.  5M.  Kl.  PI. 


